When I was in kindergarten, like most kids, I rode the bus to and from school, and on mornings when we arrived early, the school would force us to sit in the cafeteria. Being so young and not really knowing anyone, I would usually spend those mornings watching the big kids pile into the door.
But there is one face I'll never forget.
One day, while sitting in that elementary school lunchroom, I saw the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. Even two and a half decades later, I can remember his tan face and sandy blonde hair so vividly. At the ripe old age of five, I decided I was just going to have to marry him some day.
Obviously, that never happened, but that day did change my life.
Sometime later, I found out that the cute boy who rode my bus had a little sister who was in my grade, and I decided that I would just have to be her friend. If you've ever heard me talk about my childhood friend Melissa, this is the girl I'm referring to. It didn't take long for her to become my best friend, not because I thought her brother was the Brad Pitt of the fourth grade, but because some things are just meant to be.
I spent most of my childhood with Melissa. If she wasn't at my house, I was at hers. Weekends, summers, vacations, holidays, and family gatherings - I think I spent just as many with Melissa and her family as I did with my own. And I wouldn't change any of that. We played, fought, laughed, cried, went on adventures and grew up together. We shared our deepest, darkest secrets and learned so much about life. We were inseparable. She even put up with the silly crush I had on her older brother.
Eventually, as we grew up, we began to take separate paths as most kids do. Melissa found her dream guy while we were in high school and got married after finishing college early. Today, she is a wonderful mom to three adorable children. I went off to college and decided I wanted to find the right career before starting a family. Even though we took separate paths and live in different states, we still take time to say hello to each other when we can, and every time we do it's like no time has passed at all.
I write all of this to say that everyone should have such a friend in their lifetime - a friend who was always there for them when they needed them the most, a friend who you can trust and tell anything to. I look back at every memory I shared with Melissa, and I am so thankful for every bit of it - even when we fought over silly things that kids fight over.
I'm a firm believer that everyone enters your life for a reason. Why they're there, how they get there, and how long they stay is entirely up to God, but there's a purpose behind it. Looking back to that day when I saw that boy in the elementary school cafeteria, I know now that God wasn't presenting me with a glimpse of my future husband but leading me to the best friend I've ever had.
Sadly, that boy, at the age of 34, died a few days ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about him since. I haven't seen him in several years, but I have thought of him quite often. When I was a kid, I wanted a big brother so badly, and he was the closest I would ever come to getting that wish. When Melissa told me he was sick, so many memories of the time I spent with him, his sister and the rest of their family came flooding back into my mind. I smile thinking about when he taught me how to fish or when Melissa and I would go to him with "grown-up" questions that would freak him out. I smile when I think about what a kind-hearted soul he was - the type of person who would do almost anything for anyone.
I'm sorry I never got the chance to thank him for any of these things in person, and I'm sorry that his parents, his brother and sister, and his daughter had to say good-bye to him way too soon. But I am glad he is no longer suffering, and I'm glad I was lucky enough in my lifetime to know the sweet, tan-faced, sandy haired boy from the elementary school cafeteria.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
But there is one face I'll never forget.
One day, while sitting in that elementary school lunchroom, I saw the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. Even two and a half decades later, I can remember his tan face and sandy blonde hair so vividly. At the ripe old age of five, I decided I was just going to have to marry him some day.
Obviously, that never happened, but that day did change my life.
Sometime later, I found out that the cute boy who rode my bus had a little sister who was in my grade, and I decided that I would just have to be her friend. If you've ever heard me talk about my childhood friend Melissa, this is the girl I'm referring to. It didn't take long for her to become my best friend, not because I thought her brother was the Brad Pitt of the fourth grade, but because some things are just meant to be.
I spent most of my childhood with Melissa. If she wasn't at my house, I was at hers. Weekends, summers, vacations, holidays, and family gatherings - I think I spent just as many with Melissa and her family as I did with my own. And I wouldn't change any of that. We played, fought, laughed, cried, went on adventures and grew up together. We shared our deepest, darkest secrets and learned so much about life. We were inseparable. She even put up with the silly crush I had on her older brother.
Eventually, as we grew up, we began to take separate paths as most kids do. Melissa found her dream guy while we were in high school and got married after finishing college early. Today, she is a wonderful mom to three adorable children. I went off to college and decided I wanted to find the right career before starting a family. Even though we took separate paths and live in different states, we still take time to say hello to each other when we can, and every time we do it's like no time has passed at all.
I write all of this to say that everyone should have such a friend in their lifetime - a friend who was always there for them when they needed them the most, a friend who you can trust and tell anything to. I look back at every memory I shared with Melissa, and I am so thankful for every bit of it - even when we fought over silly things that kids fight over.
I'm a firm believer that everyone enters your life for a reason. Why they're there, how they get there, and how long they stay is entirely up to God, but there's a purpose behind it. Looking back to that day when I saw that boy in the elementary school cafeteria, I know now that God wasn't presenting me with a glimpse of my future husband but leading me to the best friend I've ever had.
Sadly, that boy, at the age of 34, died a few days ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about him since. I haven't seen him in several years, but I have thought of him quite often. When I was a kid, I wanted a big brother so badly, and he was the closest I would ever come to getting that wish. When Melissa told me he was sick, so many memories of the time I spent with him, his sister and the rest of their family came flooding back into my mind. I smile thinking about when he taught me how to fish or when Melissa and I would go to him with "grown-up" questions that would freak him out. I smile when I think about what a kind-hearted soul he was - the type of person who would do almost anything for anyone.
I'm sorry I never got the chance to thank him for any of these things in person, and I'm sorry that his parents, his brother and sister, and his daughter had to say good-bye to him way too soon. But I am glad he is no longer suffering, and I'm glad I was lucky enough in my lifetime to know the sweet, tan-faced, sandy haired boy from the elementary school cafeteria.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
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